


The Last Hope

by Theo Calder (absolutenihilist)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-12 15:17:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17470037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/absolutenihilist/pseuds/Theo%20Calder
Summary: "Only the tiger, the bear and the lion can save the Kingdoms from the everlasting darkness."Kha'Ezari is the Princess of the desert Kingdom Xairis - she doesn't act like one, however, instead she found herself on the path of a warrior.Prince Alexander is the heir to Bailiya's throne. He is expected to marry the Princess Kha'Ezari, however, there is one problem - he doesn't find women attractive, but men instead... Especially his servant.Quill is Prince Alexander's servant and best friend. He, however, possesses the one thing Prince Alexander and nearly everyone in Bailiya hates - magic.The three find their paths intertwined, their destinies aligned - they are the last hope for the Kingdoms.





	The Last Hope

I rode beside the Queen in silence, as I usually did. 

We were travelling a great distance in order to participate in a week long tournament with Bailiya. After receiving the invitation from King Torin, the Queen gladly accepted - she had always wanted to travel to the North. It would certainly be different to our small Kingdom, Xairis - a desert city. 

"We will arrive there shortly, my Queen." Tazen, the Queen's advisor, beamed. His large hazel eyes were alight - most of the others were excited to be travelling to a new place. I didn't like it - the deserts were my home, and I was used to the heat and sandstorms. I had seen more green over the past three days then I have in my entire life, and I hate green - I found it an awful colour.

"Looking forward to competing in the tournament, Ezari?" The Queen asked me, turning to me.

"I suppose so, mother." I felt our relationship should be kept formal. 

"Maybe you will beat Prince Alexander himself." 

"I don't think so. He could probably easily best me in combat." Magic was punishable by death in Bailiya - whereas in Xairis, it was encouraged, and seen as a good thing. I had to learn to fight without using magic, which was hard for me - but it was most likely a good thing, to be able to learn to battle without being so dependent on it.

"Well, if you did, you'd impress him. Maybe he'd consider courting you." I rolled my eyes - the Queen had a mischievous glint in her eye, and I had seen it many times before.

"Prince Alexander probably wouldn't want a wife who could kill him in the blink of an eye. I don't think he'd appreciate being bested by a woman either." 

"You never know, Eza, you never know." As much as she wanted me to have some kind of endearing nickname, I hated my name being shortened to anything other than Ezari. The Queen grinned, and the chatter from the group became louder as we approached Bailiya. 

Riding through the gate, we trotted through the outskirts of the town. It was full of people, moving out of our way. Several people didn't hesitate to stare - of course, we were tired. I wore some nicer clothes - loose fitting, long black pants and shirt, a cowl, and cloth to cover the lower half of my face. The Queen wanted me to wear something with long sleeves, as it was best not to show all my battle scars as a Princess on the first moment of meeting the King, Prince, and Royal Household - though she knew whatever she said, I would cover my face. The one scar I didn't want anyone to see ran down the lower half of my face, and onto my neck. It was too ugly for anyone to see.

We rode towards the palace, and ended up in a courtyard. Several stablehands moved forward to hold the horses' reins, and lead them to the stables. Pulling my pack from my Arabian's back, a blood bay mare I named Zea, I went to the Queen's horse, and took her bag also, shouldering it. Servants rushed out, taking bags from the others. I patted Zea briefly on the shoulder, and nodded to the stablehand holding her reins. Once everyone was dismounted, we all went into the main hall, where the King, Prince and King's Ward were seated on thrones. They stood as we entered, and we all filed in. 

"Welcome to Bailiya, Queen A-Sh'Kara, Princess Kha'Ezari, Queen's Advisor Tenzan, and warriors of Xairis. Thank you for accepting our invitation." King Torin spoke, his voice rumbling.

"Thank you for inviting us, my King. We look forward to participating in the tournament." The Queen replied in smooth, yet accented English. She smiled. 

"Enjoy your stay." King Torin sat down, and there was a blur of movement as servants moved to take us to our rooms in the castle. It was nothing like home, but it was certainly a nice castle in it's own right. 

Prince Alexander approached us. "My Queen, I am to take you, the Princess, and your Advisor to your rooms. May I ask where the Princess is?" I rolled my eyes as the Queen and Tenzan laughed. 

"Right here." I stepped forward. He looked slightly taken aback, but recovered. 

"Sorry, Princess Kha'Ezari. Follow me." He started walking, and all three of us followed him. We went through several hallways, and up some stairs. "Alright. My Queen, you are in this room." He opened the door for her, and I followed the two into the room. I handed the Queen her bag, and she placed it on the plush chair by the window. It looked to be made of velvet, and it was a rich red colour. Like blood. I turned and left the room, joining Tenzan in the hallway, where he was leaning against the wall. "You, Tenzan, are in this room here." He handed Tenzen the keys, and opened the door for him. Tanzen thanked him with his charismatic, oftentimes contagious smile. "And you, Princess, are in this room." He went to open the door for me, but I had already opened it for myself. I held my hand out for the key, and the metal was warmer then I expected - also, some wet residue on it, presumably sweat.

"Thanks. Where's the training grounds?" Prince Alexander raised an eyebrow.

"You want to watch our men train?" His tone became cocky.

"No, I want  _to_ train." He looked taken aback. "It's better then practicing in your lavish room here. I can rip up the gaud-  _lovely_ lace tablecloth if you wish, but I feel that it would be rude." 

"In that case, I can show you now." 

"I must change into training gear. Give me one minute." I kicked the door closed and took the clothes from the top of my pack. My training clothes were tighter, but loose enough to not restrict movement. They were also mildly stained with various... different kinds of stains - they were once a light brown, but now were darker with reds, browns, even some black. The shirt had no sleeves, and the pants were shorter - I wore my favourite dark brown boots, and covered my head with the shirt's cowl and retied my cloth around my face. When I opened the door, I didn't see Alex there - instead I heard him. He was talking loudly to someone else, and I decided to follow the noise - it lead to the room next door. 

"You're an absolute idiot, Quill! Women shouldn't be allowed to fight!"

"You saw the women fighting when we went to my village and we helped defend them from the raiders!"

"This is different!"

"Really?"

"Yes! They were defending their home, not doing it just because they want to!" I stood in the doorway of the room, with my arms crossed, to see Prince Alexander in some of his armour, and a new person standing there. When he looked at me, he grinned. I couldn't tear my gaze from his face.

His face had a beauty about it I didn't know could be real. Prominent cheekbones, blue eyes, dark hair, pale skin.

"Tell that to the girl behind you." Prince Alexander whipped around.

"Oh. I'm sorry, it's just-"

"In my Kingdom, women can fight if they so wish. Many times they have proven better warriors then men. Would you like to show me where the training grounds are, or shall your friend here do it for you? Clearly I am more of a servant in your mind then a proper Princess." I tilted my head. 

"You-" 

"Well?" The Prince finally stopped talking, and began walking, his posture ever so slightly slumped. The other male walked beside me as I followed the Prince.

"Well done, I've never seen Alex do that before."

"Listen to a woman?" 

"Well, listen to anyone, and shut up so quickly. I'm Quill."

"Good to meet you, Quill. Call me Ezari, and none of that Princess business. I don't like to think of myself as one." I shook his hand, and though he probably couldn't tell, I was smiling. It hurt my face - I didn't smile too often.

"Alright. Pr- Ezari, are you participating in the tournament?" We were in the courtyard, going down towards the markets and outskirts of the city. 

"I am indeed."

"Well," He leaned in to whisper to me. "I hope you beat Alex. It would be good for him to be beaten by a woman, for once, it might do his pride some good." We both laughed quietly. Prince Alexander walked in front of us in silence, while Quill and I began discussing various things, namely, what it was like in Xairis. "So it's a desert?"

"Yes. The main city, you could say, is actually built into the side of a canyon. There's mostly desert, but heading North leads to more rock. Houses built on sand have bad foundations, so we found the canyon and built our homes into it." 

"That sounds amazing!" 

"It is alright. I'm not used to being in many buildings made above ground, and certainly not high above ground, like the castle." 

"I would love to visit someday." 

"Come during the winter months. It isn't so hot then, and you won't burn so easily. Pale skin doesn't cope with the sun so well." I remembered the fools who traveled there and didn't bother to cover themselves with long sleeves. Their skin was bright red, and there was a lot of peeling and groaning when they arrived.

"Seems like it." Quill paused. "Just around the corner is the training area. Where's your armour?" He asked, curious.

"I don't wear it. If I need to, I wear leather plates."

"I guess metal armour in the desert isn't a good thing." He laughed. 

"It would be awful. It also can restrict some of your movement, and for my fighting style, that's not good. I use a fair amount of m-" I stopped myself. I was revealing too much, and even though I considered Quill an ally already - again, unusual for me - he might hate magic as much as King Torin. 

"Here we are." Prince Alexander turned around. "Do you need anything else?" 

"No. Feel free to watch me, if you are so inclined." I nodded to Quill and approached the group of men practicing on the flatter, grassy area. I stood with them.

"Who're you? A servant of that Queen who's come to visit?" A Knight approached me, head held high. He was big in size, and had a strong sense of arrogance to him. He had short, cropped blond hair, with brown eyes, and not so handsome features. 

"Want to fight?" I challenged him. He laughed, as did his friends. "I'm serious." I drew my two scimitars from their sheaths - the left one had a longer blade, the right a shorter. 

"Are you sure you know how to use those, girlie?" I glared at him. "Alright, alright. I'll go easy on you, don't you worry." 

"Don't bother." I muttered, following him to where the others were standing, in a loosely formed oval. We stood facing each other. He did some fancy sword swing, while I got into position. 

He lunged at me first, a shining steel greatsword in both hands. I decided to go with simple techniques, and not give too much of my fighting style away, unlike the men here, who clearly would. A simple duck and sidestep did the trick. He continued to try lunging at me, and I avoided each time.

The fifth time he tried I parried his blow, blocking it with my longer scimitar, and I managed to smack him with the flat of my shorter one on the chest. It was enough to create a large clang, and wind him enough to move back. His face was red, a snarl making his features only uglier. He completely charged at me, and I moved towards him. Parrying his sword, I managed to twist behind him, and used his weight against him, pushing him to the ground easily.

I placed one foot on the middle of his upper back, and my two blades either side of his neck. 

"I'm the Princess Kha'Ezari. I would recommend you think before you speak, if you have a brain somewhere in the big head of yours. I would certainly be surprised if you did." My comment made the other Knights snicker. "Don't test me again." I removed my blades and foot from him and stepped away. "Anyone else wish to challenge me? Some archery, perhaps?" I suggested. Prince Alexander stepped forward. 

"Alright. Get yourself a crossbow, or bow. Whichever suits you, Princess." He strode towards a red tent, and I followed him. Inside was a small selection of bows and crossbows. A crossbow caught my eye, and I picked it up. It was somewhat similar to my own at home - mine was made of pale wood, instead of the reddish colour this one was, but had similar features to this one - carvings. "Interesting. That's my old one." He held up one that had a small magnifying glass in it. It was a genius idea - adding something to help you see your target better. "Here." He handed me a small bag, the metal bolts inside it clinking together. "I should find another one, then. It would be unfair to use one with a magnifying glass in it." He placed the crossbow onto the bench.

"Don't bother." I picked it up, holding it out to him. "You might have an advantage, but in battle, that advantage is good." He took the crossbow. 

"Alright. This way." We left the tent, and went towards the woods, where targets had been placed on trees. "Ladies first." He gestured for me to go first. I stepped up to the block of wood that made the line. I aimed, and fired. The target made a dull thud as the bolt hit the red in the middle, and my eyes sought the next target. It was further away - I fired again. The next was higher up, and I fired at that one also, the final target being further away - I fired at that one as well. I knew I wouldn't be as accurate, as usually I could drink some of an elixir to improve my eyesight, but I can only try. 

"Two bulls eyes." Quill had gone to see what I had shot. I was surprised - my eyesight far away was generally awful. 

"Well done, Princess." Prince Alexander smirked - he was going to beat me. He fired his crossbow quicker than I did, though he would have already known where the targets were. Quill ran off and came back with the bolts.

"Three bulls eyes. Alex, you've won." He handed the bolts back to us. I put mine back into the bag.

"Well, Princess, you're certainly quite good... For a girl." Prince Alexander seemed quite happy I didn't beat him.

"I think I'm quite good in general." 

"Well, you're better then Quill, that's for sure." Quill looked down. 

"I'm sure Quill has other strengths. He seems to have a brain, and can put up with you. I'd consider that almost a talent of it's own." I followed Prince Alexander to the tent where we got our crossbows. I placed the one I had back where I found it. 

"There's a feast tonight, so you should get changed soon, Alex." I accidentally let out an audible groan as Quill spoke.

"You don't like feasts where you get to sit next to a handsome Prince?" Alex joked.

"No, especially not one who's such a prat." I grinned darkly, as Quill stifled a laugh. "The Queen will make me dress up in some awful dress. I'd rather go to the inn and drink ale there."

"I can't be  _that_ bad."

"You are." Quill and I said in unison. We looked at each other, and burst into laughter - the first time I had in a while. Prince Alexander crossed his arms and glared at Quill.

"We better get back." Prince Alexander left the tent, and Quill and I talked as we made our way back to the castle. I saw Tazen talking to the Queen in the courtyard, and when she saw me she walked over. 

"Ezari, dear, there's going to be a feast tonight, you need to look acceptable. I have a dress in my chambers for you to wear." She smiled, knowing the torture she was going to put me through. I could have sworn she enjoyed it.

When I looked back, Tanzen mouthed "I'm sorry!" - he knew why I disliked dresses, and tried to convince the Queen to let it go. He turned to Quill and Alex, and started talking to them.

The Queen walked beside me, talking the entire time. She went on about how she had this dress tailored specifically to me, and how I was going to adore it. I was rolling my eyes the entire time, and simply not caring. We got to the hallway our chambers were located, and she unlocked the door with the key. Inside, she had laid the dress onto the bed. 

It was a light yellow and gold in colour, and was made of some fine material. There was some fine detailing on the edges of the dress hem, that I noticed was in both words in our tongue and had one spell written on it -  _Ic hæle þina þrowunga_. It was a healing spell I used often, on both myself and others. It was also one of the first spells I had learned - it had a lot of meaning to me. 

"Mother, I can't wear this-"

"You will wear it, Kha'Ezari," She only used my full name when I was in trouble or she was serious about what she was telling me. "For once. Please." Her eyes went soft, and she was gripping my hand tightly. "If Prince Alexander took an interest in you, you could unite our kingdoms. You could teach him magic isn't a force of evil, but a neutral thing that should only be used for good." 

"Can I cover my face?" I asked hesitantly. I didn't like to see her so desperate. 

"I will put a glamour spell on your scar." 

"That isn't a good idea, Mother. You know it. If anyone found out, I could be killed. I also don't want to show my face." 

"Please. I implore you, dear, if anyone finds out it will be my fault. I will take all the blame."

"It could be seen in a reflection." 

"You will need to be careful."

"Fine." I agreed, and went behind the folding screen to change. Mother came over and tied the back, and when I stood in front of the looking glass, I was surprised. It matched my eyes, in an unusual way. All of my scars could be seen, but I kept my eyes from my face, and looked more at the dress covering my body. It was impractical, and I hated the feeling of it, but Mother was smiling.

"You look beautiful, dear." Tears were in her eyes. She held her hand over my face, and muttered a spell. I knew little of glamour spells, and didn't know which one it was exactly. The scar showed in my reflection, but when Mother looked at me, her smile widened. "It's nice to see all of your face again."

"It feels unusual." I wasn't used to my face being so exposed. Also, people could see my mouth move when I talked, and smile at them. 

"It would do, dear. I shall get changed, and then we are to meet Tezan in the hallway." I grabbed my shorter scimitar and it's sheath, and fastened the belt around my hips. I needed something familiar, and at least a weapon on me would allow for me to at least feel protected, and allow me to be protective of those I need to. When Mother returned, she sighed, seeing the scimitar at my side, but wasn't overly surprised either. She was in a dress that was bright red, and it looked quite good on her - it was made of silk, and was much like she would wear at home. 

I went to the door, and opened it for her. She passed through, and I closed it, catching a glimpse of Tezan in his usual attire - clean white shirt, and nice pants. The cool metal of the key bit into my hand as I locked the door. I quietly muttered a spell, ensuring it was locked. " _Behæpse fæst_." The door clicked, and I grinned. More footsteps came from behind us, and I saw Prince Alexander and Quill leave Prince Alexander's chambers, walking towards us. I could feel both of the male's eyes on me. 

"May we escort you to the main hall?" Prince Alexander asked us. 

"You may escort Ezari, Prince Alexander. Tezan is happy to escort me." The Queen sent me one last smile, like she knew I already didn't overly like Prince Alexander, and began walking with Tezan, arms linked.

"Well, Princess. You look... wonderful." Prince Alexander seemed genuinely surprised.

"Enjoy it while you can. You can't expect me to dress like this again." I grinned at Quill. "I'll need a strong drink to deal with him."

"You will indeed..." He drifted off, looking down, grin falling from his face. He snapped his head up quickly, recovering. I looked over to Prince Alexander, who was holding his arm out to me. I sighed, and took it. He walked quite quickly, which was good - I could keep pace with him easily, and not get overly impatient if he walked slowly. 

When we got to the main hall, Prince Alexander lead me to the royals table, and pulled out a chair for me. I hated people doing anything for me, especially meaningless things like pulling out chairs. I glared at him as I sat down, and he sat in his seat next to me.

"This will be fun." He murmured into my ear. 

"I highly doubt that." I muttered. King Torin stood up, and began a speech. I immediately zoned out, and only focused once everyone was clapping. Then, the Queen stood up - I zoned out quickly then too. I was quite hungry, and just wanted to eat, drink, and then sleep. My attention came back when I smelled food - another round of polite clapping, and then servants poured through the doors, bringing food to the tables. I began loading up my plate with various meats and vegetables, and drank from a tankard that had been filled with wine. The food was certainly good, and slightly foreign - we ate more grains, fruits, and vegetables, with less meat. 

I ate my meal in happy silence - I was uncomfortable in a dress, and was sitting next to someone I wouldn't consider great company - but the food was good. When a servant was about to fill my tankard with more wine, I stopped her.

"Ale, please." I smiled at her. She dipped her head, and got a bottle of ale to pour into it. "Thank you." 

"Enjoying yourself, Princess?" Prince Alexander spoke into my ear. I managed to stop my instincts before I put him into a choke hold.

"Well, it's not as bad as I thought, though you're talking to me. I suppose it's getting worse." 

"And here I was about to say I was beginning to actually enjoy your company, though you do look good." He smirked. 

"You clean up well yourself, Princess." I grinned at the nickname as his face darkened.

"Come on. There's got to be a better nickname to give me - handsome, charming..."

"Prat, clotpole, dollophead. There's plenty out there that suit you just fine." 

"Quill calls me those words too! He isn't making them up..."

"Clearly not, clotpole." For the rest of the dinner, we drank, and joked around. Occasionally, I found myself looking through the crowd to find Quill. When I did, and we made eye contact, I'd smile at him, and each time, he looked down, face flushed. In Xairis, the servants sat at the tables with us after putting the food onto the tables, and we ate together - it was unusual to me to have servants watch us eat, and then get any leftovers and eat later. 

After three hours of sitting and eating, people finally started to dismiss themselves. "Princess, when are we allowed to leave?" I whispered in Prince Alexander's ear.

"We are allowed to leave now. Do you want me to escort you back to your room?" 

"I suppose you can. I seem to have drunk a tad too much." 

"I am quite surprised, you do have a high tolerance for ale." 

"I do indeed." We got up from our seats, and I took Alex's arm. I was still on my feet, but swaying ever so slightly. We walked out of the main hall, and into the cooler hallways. "Hey, Alex..."

"Yes?"

"Don't call me Princess. I hate it."

"Then you know just how I feel when you call  _me_ Princess."

"I might have the title, but I am no Princess. I fight and roll around in the mud. Not that we have any mud in Xairis... I roll around in the dust and don't do any Princess-y things.  _You_ have the title and act like a Prince, so I can call _you_ Princess." 

"Your logic is... interesting, Pri- What do I call you?"

"Ezari. Just Ezari." 

"Alright." Alex laughed quietly, but I made a snort. Like a pig - which made him laugh louder. "You are quite funny when you want to be, Ezari." 

"Thanks. Not many seem to enjoy my humour." 

"I do." We reached my door. 

"Where's my key... Aha!" I pulled it from my belt, and unlocked the door. 

"Get some rest." Alex stood in the doorway. 

"I probably won't. I can't get to sleep easily." I flopped onto the bed, staring up. It was dark, and I nearly cast a spell - that would have been a bad move. 

"Would you like to see Faendal, the Court Physician? He could give you a sleeping draught." Alex offered. 

"That would be wonderful. Let me get out of this, first." Alex nodded, closing the door. I found my sleeping clothes - a loose cotton shirt and black pants - and changed out of the dress. I did have to use magic to untie the back, but after that I threw my clothes on, refastened both of my scimitars to my hips, and opened the door again. Both Alex and Quill were standing outside. "Alex, it's fine. Quill can take me to Faendal. Go be Princely, Princess." I grinned at Alex. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes, yes. Go relax. Quill can look after me." I patted Quill on the shoulder. Alexander muttered something, and went into his room, while Quill and I began walking. "You know, in Xairis, we would have eaten together." 

"What?" 

"In Xairis, the servants put food on the tables, and then sit down to eat with us." 

"Your kingdom is very different to ours." 

"It is. Yours is different to ours."

"I guess so. The tournament will certainly be interesting." We continued discussing the coming week. I was going to be sad when I left - I had a proper friend, potentially two. "I am looking forward to it." Quill opened a door, and let me pass through. Inside was an older man, looking at vials and comparing samples. 

"Ezari, Faendal." Quill gestured between us. 

"Ah, the Princess Kha'Ezari. How can I help you?" He placed the vials on a table, and walked over to me.

"Please, call me Ezari. I have trouble sleeping, and I was told you can make sleeping draughts?" 

"I can indeed. It will take me half an hour to make one. Do you wish to stay here or go back to your chambers?"

"I'm happy to stay here. Quill is quite pleasant company." I grinned at Quill, who was, once again, blushing. "I think my people would quite like you, Quill. You're very... interesting, and have sharp wits. You'd fit right in." 

"Well, I don't exactly look like you." We grinned - the only physical similarities we shared were the black hair and height. 

"Not physically, but spiritually and mentally. You should visit sometime, the palace is always open to you." 

"Thanks. I appreciate that." I walked over to a table, where a large number of books were scattered around. One in particular caught my eye, and I carefully opened it. I recognised it immediately - it was a spellbook. I read the text - some of these spells I had never heard of before, and I made sure to remember some of them - they could come in use later on. 

"This is quite an interesting book. I didn't know there was a spe-" I looked up. Quill was paler then I had ever seen someone. "You're a sorcerer?"


End file.
